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WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?

APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORIES IN IR >>
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
Lesson 1
WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?
Definitions of IR
Jeromy Bentham was the first person to use the word `international', in the later 18th century, with regards
to defining the relations between nation-states. A restricted definition of IR confines its focus to official
relations and excludes relations other than the official from the purview of international relations.
From a broader view, IR may refer to all forms of interactions between members of separate societies,
whether government sponsored or not.
The study of IR includes analysis of foreign policies or political processes between nations, and also focuses
on international trade and civil society interaction.
Ingredients of IR
The study of IR involves looking at the nature and principal forces of international organization as well as
the political, social, economic organization of political life. IR is also concerned with an examination of
elements of national power, including the limitation of national power and examining how it can be
controlled.
IR also focuses on the instruments available for promotion of national interest, with foreign policies of major
powers and of smaller (strategic) powers and considers other historical ingredients as a background for
events affecting the current sphere of International Relations.
International Politics vs. International Relations
IR is wider in scope than international politics. International politics focuses on various styles of politics: the
politics of violence, the politics of persuasion, hierarchical policies and pluralistic politics.
Yet IR embraces the totality of relations among people and groups of people in global society, which go
beyond looking at political forces to an examination of socio-cultural and economic processes as well.
League of Nations
WWI had caused 20 million deaths in 4 years. For the first time ever, there was a global consensus on the
need for collective security and a focus on the need for prevention of war.
Nations attempted to put to practice the ideas of public voting by diplomats in international organizations;
the rule of law; the promise of disarmament and foreign policies based on disarmament via the formulation
of the League of Nations.
The League was ineffective in stopping the military aggression that led to World War II. It ceased its work
during the war and dissolved in 1946. The United Nations assumed its assets and carries on much of its
work.
Foreign Policy & Diplomacy
Foreign policies are based on circumstantial variables as well as contending theories concerning how to best
achieve the interests of a state in its interaction with other states.
Diplomacy focuses on the structures and instruments available for diplomacy and the changing scope of interaction with
international actors.
International Institutions
Contemporary international institutions in which groups of states or other actors can participate include
International Non Government Organizations (INGOs) or the UN system. The European Union, North
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International Relations-PSC 201
VU
Atlantic Treaty Organization, Association for South East Asian Nations or South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation are also other regional groupings with multiple functions.
Relevant Vocabulary
Contemporary: Current or from the same time period
Aggression: Violent behavior
Ceased: Ended
Disarmament: reduction of weaponry
Formulation: to devise or to design
Circumstantial: based on circumstances or ground realities
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 1 in `"A Study of International Relations" by Dr. Sultan Khan
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which
provide useful and interesting information:
League of Nations
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/league/background.html#introduction
Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND WHAT IS ITS RELEVANCE?
  2. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: THEORIES IN IR
  3. APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:Traditional Approach
  4. THE NATION-STATE SYSTEM:Further Evolution of Nation-State
  5. THE NATION STATE SYSTEM: BASIC FEATURES OF A NATION-STATE
  6. NATIONAL INTEREST:Criteria for Defining National Interest
  7. NATIONAL INTEREST:Variations in National Interest, Relevant Vocabulary
  8. BALANCE OF POWER (BOP):BoP from a historical perspective
  9. BALANCE OF POWER (CONTINUED):Degree of Polarization, Functions of BoP
  10. DIPLOMACY:How Diplomacy Functions, Traditional Versus Modern Diplomacy
  11. DIPLOMACY (CONTINUED):Diplomatic Procedures & Practices, Functions of Diplomacy
  12. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Judging Colonization
  13. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Types of Neo-Colonialism
  14. COLONIALISM, NEO-COLONIALISM & IMPERIALISM:Objectives of Imperialism
  15. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Criticism of IEO, NIEO Activities
  16. NEW INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER:Prerequisites for the NIEO
  17. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Origin of NAM, NAM’s Institutional Structure
  18. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT (CONTINUED):Cairo Summit, Egypt - 1964
  19. NON-ALIGNMENT MOVEMENT:Criticism of NAM, NAM and Pakistan
  20. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS - INTRODUCING THE COLD WAR PHENOMENON
  21. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan
  22. THE COLD WAR AND ITS IMPACTS (CONTINUED):End of the Cold War
  23. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL:History of Disarmament
  24. DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL (CONTINUED):Other Disarmament Efforts
  25. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  26. THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (CONTINUED)
  27. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:Need for IGOs, Categorizing IGOs
  28. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):United Nations, Criticism of the UN
  29. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (CONTINUED):European Union, World Bank
  30. THE ROLE OF DECISION MAKING IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
  31. DECISION MAKING (CONTINUED):Rational Actor Model, Group Politics Model
  32. SYSTEMS APPROACH TO IR:Underlying Assumptions, Elements of the System
  33. SYSTEMS BASED APPROACH (CONTINUED) – DISTINCT SYSTEMS IN IR
  34. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY:Neoliberalism
  35. LIBERALISM AND SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (CONTINUED):Liberalism vs. Social Democracy
  36. INTEGRATION IN IR:Preconditions for Integration, Assessing Integration
  37. GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS:Advocates of Globalization
  38. THE GLOBAL DIVIDE:World Social Forum, Can the Global Divide Be Bridged?
  39. FOCUS ON FOREIGN INVESTMENTS:Pro-poor Foreign Investments
  40. CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Components of a Conflict
  41. CONFLICT RESOLUTION:Creative response, Appropriate assertiveness
  42. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Global Concern for the Environment
  43. THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT:Environmental Concerns and IR, Some Other Issues
  44. HOW IR DIFFER FROM DOMESTIC POLITICS?:Strategies for altering state behavior
  45. CHANGE AND IR:Continuity in IR, Causality and counterfactuals, IR in a nutshell